Warmer temperatures make summer the ideal time for stargazing, whether you like to look for shooting stars on your back porch or take in the full sky on a camping trip. We've been treated to several celestial sights so far in the summer of 2024—and even more are on the docket. In fact, you can take a front-row seat to an upcoming meteor shower that's sure to impress. According to NASA, the "best meteor shower of the year" is slated to kick off this Sunday.
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The event in question is the Perseid meteor shower, which will be active starting July 14, according to the American Meteor Society (AMS). The Perseids occur annually around this time, and they will last until Sept. 1 this year.
"With swift and bright meteors, Perseids frequently leave long 'wakes' of light and color behind them as they streak through Earth's atmosphere," NASA explains. "The Perseids are one of the most plentiful showers with about 50 to 100 meteors seen per hour. They occur with warm summer nighttime weather allowing sky watchers to comfortably view them."
Meteors are actually leftover comet particles and parts of broken asteroids, and the Perseid meteor shower is caused by debris from the Swift-Tuttle comet. When meteors go around the sun, they leave a "dusty trail," according to NASA. The Earth goes through these trails when it orbits the sun yearly, and the meteors disintegrate when they meet our atmosphere. That triggers the "fiery and colorful streaks" we see light up the night sky.
The Perseid meteor shower is specifically known for its "fireballs," which are brighter, larger explosions of light and color. Because they come from "larger particles of cometary material," they last longer than typical meteor streaks.
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Wondering where to catch a glimpse of this space event? The Northern Hemisphere is the best spot from which to see the meteor shower, according to The Planetary Society. This is because the Perseids' radiant—the point in the sky where the meteors seem to come from—is the constellation Perseus, which is located north on the sky's dome. However, The Planetary Society notes that the Perseid meteor shower may also be spotted south of this, as far as the southern mid-latitudes.
The pre-dawn hours are the best for viewing, but there are some instances when you can catch a glimpse as early as 10 p.m. local time, NASA says. The Planetary Society recommends heading to a dark sky site—away from city lights—for the optimal viewing experience. Luckily, the meteor shower is visible to the naked eye, meaning you don't need to invest in binoculars or a telescope.
While Sunday marks the start of the meteor shower, the Perseids actually peak on the night of Aug. 11/Aug. 12. On that night, the half-illuminated moon will set near 1 a.m. local time. This is a "favorable coincidence as this is the time that strong activity begins to occur from this shower," AMS says.
According to NASA, the Perseids have a velocity of 37 miles per second, and there may be as many as 100 meteors per hour during peak activity. The Planetary Society predicts that the Perseids could produce between 50 to 75 meters per hour in 2024, with what you can see dependent on your location.
